Working at leisure (1986)

Humankind stands at a crossroads. Faced with the new microelectronic technology that is revolutionising the workplace, we are on the brink of a second industrial revolution that will have consequences every bit as profound as the first. Barrie Sherman envisages a world where homeworking will be the norm, the cities will be deserted, the suburbs the new centres of work and leisure. And what of unemployment? We must recognise that never again can we expect to be in full-time employment for the whole of our working lives. But, depending on the action we take now, this could lead us in one of two ways – to widespread unemployment and misery, or to a Brave New World where, for the first time in history, men and women will be able to find fulfilment by balancing their lives equally between work and leisure. In this analysis, Barrie Sherman stresses that we must allow ourselves the luxury of optimism when confronting the future. It is people who will determine what happens to us all – not technology.